Written and Submitted by Dan Borchers
In April of 2012, a group of individuals from Denver took a
rafting trip down the Yampa River, one of the last free-flowing rivers in the
western US. Paddling through Dinosaur National Monument, we were rounding the
bend after a trip through the Warm Springs Rapids, and we saw a commotion in the
weeds. It turned out to be two otters playing on the bank. It was a long bend
so we got to spend a fair amount of time watching. We came upon them at an
intimate moment, and were glad to see that there might be more otter pups later
in the season. A little later, on a gravel bank at Box Elder Canyon, another
otter came running out and jumped into the river. At camp that night while we
made dinner, the otter couple from Warm Springs came swimming by, grunting and
chasing each other in the river. It was wonderful to see these healthy otters
populating one of the few wild rivers left in Colorado.
What a wonderful bit of news. Thank you so very much for sharing the details and the great pictures!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jo! Following the status of the river otters of Colorado closely, I thought you'd probably like this one! It warmed my heart too!
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